Category: Parenting

It’s Car Seat Safety Week! Time to learn all about those often annoying life saving car seats. I remember the car seat time in my kids’ lives vividly. My daughter absolutely hated her car seat and screamed every time we put her in the car seat. Her big brother made up a song that he sang every time to try and calm her down, which was so sweet. I know it’s also such a pain to keep up with car seat laws and how they fit your growing child. Even worse is trying to install your car seat properly! But car seat safety is so important.

Here in Nova Scotia, your child may be in a car seat or booster seat until as late as nine years old. Here’s a booster seat lesson plan to help out if your older child is resistant to still using that booster seat. If you’re looking for an overview of car seat safety laws in Nova Scotia, here they are:

Rear-Facing Car Seat: Infants must be in a rear-facing seat until at least one year and 10 kg (22 lb).

Forward-Facing Car Seat: Child must be at least one year and 10 kg (22 lb) before using forward-facing seat and must remain in a forward-facing seat until a at least 18 kg (40 lb).

Booster Seat: Child must be at least 18 kg (40 lb) before moving to a booster seat and must stay in a booster seat until they are 145 cm (4 feet 9 inches) OR 9 years old.

Of course, you take time to research car seats to choose the right one for your child. But did you know that not all cars are car seat friendly? This is something I never thought about before! Luckily, the cars we used when our kids were little were family cars that fit car seats beautifully, but not all do. When you’re looking for a new or new-to-you car, bring your car seats with you so you don’t get a shock when you try to install them. You can also check out Cars.com for some tips on what a car needs to fit car seats in the back seat well. Cars.com also has a list of the 10 best 2017 and 2018 cars for car seat safety they’ve tested.

More kids die due to automotive collisions than any other cause every year. So, despite the fact that car seats aren’t easy to deal with and sometimes kids (like mine) simply hate them, it’s so important to take the time to learn about them and install and use them properly.

Do you have a car seat or car seat friendly car recommendation? Please let me know in the comments below!

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Coming October 11-13! Free Online Mom Conference

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could attend talks by all the best authors and speakers on motherhood topics? Well, guess what? You can! And it’s free. You don’t even have to leave your house to participate.

What is the Mom Conference?

The Mom Conference is a free, three-day online event featuring some truly amazing speakers and you are invited to attend!

Join over 100,000 moms around the world on October 11th, 12th, and 13th and come away armed with powerful new strategies for everything from sibling rivalry, to healthy eating, to finding more joy in motherhood.

Why Attend?

Being a mom can be overwhelming at times! Sometimes it’s hard to keep things in perspective – and keep from getting burned out and resorting to yelling. In addition to making sure I attend at least one homeschool conference a year (usually online), I also make sure to go to at least one on mothering. For the past couple of years, I have thoroughly enjoyed the fresh perspective and practical advice I get from attending the Mom Conference online!

This free online Mom Conference includes 20 online classes by 20 rock star speakers (mostly moms) who will teach you how to:

Understand and manage your children’s emotions (and your own!)

Teach your children about sex (so important!)

Help your children to embrace healthy foods while teaching them to cook

Raise grateful children and avoid the entitlement epidemic these days

Manage your children’s cell phone use and screen time (a tricky and important subject!)

Take better care of your body, mind, and soul (yes, yours, Mom!)

Develop and stick to a budget that works (I’m looking forward to this)

Nurture your marriage

Teach your children – babies through teens – values and character traits to help them be successful and happy

Get that house clean and keep it that way (in a fun way!)

Find more joy in motherhood

Sounds amazing, right?

Here is a list of some of the incredible presenters and their sessions:

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We love technology in our home! We are all gamers and enjoy the convenience of all our screens and devices. But we also enjoy a good power outage now and then.

The power goes out a little too often around here sometimes. When my kids were younger, as soon as the power went out they would burst into a flurry of activity. They eagerly gathered candles, started the fire in the woodstove, and gathered water from the pool (if it wasn’t frozen) so we could flush our toilets. A power failure can still be a fun time now that my kids are 12 and 17 – every one enjoys reading, playing boardgames together, and keeping the fire going if it’s cold outside.

Screen-Free Week May 2-8, 2016

You can experience the fun without the inconvenience of a power outage. Screen-Free Week has been celebrated every year since 1995. Join in this year and get your child to turn off the TV, video games, computers, cell phones, and devices to celebrate the magic of being unplugged!

Children today often spend too much time glued to screens and this can lead to health and behaviour problems. Just think of how little your kids are playing outside compared to when you were a kid! So encourage your child to get some outside time, read, explore, and play this week! You may want to print off a certificate of achievement for them at the end of the week. And consider taking some screen-free time yourself as a parent.

Does being a mom and homemaker (and homeschooler) ever feel a little too hard? There’s no question that we love our families like crazy and we’d do anything for them, but we all know motherhood can be exhausting!

If you’re anything like me, you wish your home felt more put together and peaceful, that you could keep up with housework, that you could be more consistent about serving healthy, homemade meals, and that you weren’t running around with your head cut off so much of the time.

Our families matter more than anything else. A mom’s job is so important, and we really want to do it right. But so often, we end up feeling discouraged and even as if we’re failing.

Now, I know as well as you do that homemaking is never going to be stress-free (though it sure sounds nice). But what if you had more (and better) tools to help make it less stressful (and even a little more fun)?

That’s why I’m over the moon to tell you about something very special happening right now called The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle 2016.

Don’t Miss this Homemaking and Mothering Help!

This bundle offers you a plethora of amazing, high-quality resources to take some of the stress, overwhelm, and difficulty out of homemaking and mothering. To make you feel like you’re winning more often. And to bolster you in the work you’re doing, because every awesome, hard-working mom deserves a little help sometimes.

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle includes 93 hand-picked eBooks, eCourses, and printables, on topics that matter to moms such as:

organization, routines & creating a cozy home

recipes, grocery shopping and meal planning (use these for homeschool home economics!)

budgeting and saving money

motherhood (no matter what age your kids are)

cultivating a strong marriage

faith (for you & your kids)

and even self-care (exercise, weight loss, life planning, and colouring books!)

and much more…

You have a full year to download the eBooks and printables and take the online eCourses, and everything you’ve downloaded becomes part of your permanent library, so you can go back to it whenever you need it. In fact, for the first two days, until April 28th, you not only get PDFs of all the ebooks, you also get a FREE ereader upgrade! This is something I never picked up before because of the extra cost, but I am SO happy to have everything on my Kobo this time around!

Plus, your bundle comes with these FREE bonus offers from companies who know what homemakers need and want. Some are 100% free; others are yours for the cost of shipping only. You’ll get:

It’s available for just 6 days – from now until Monday, May 2nd, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. That’s why the Ultimate Bundles team can offer so much, because they only have permission to sell it for such a short period of time.

The total value is an astonishing $1000+ (plus over $300 in bonuses), but you get it for just $29.97. That’s 97% off what it would cost to buy everything individually!

Learn more or get your bundle now! I am LOVING mine!

If you think getting all this homemaking and mothering help for less than $30 sounds like a steal, then go HERE to see exactly what it includes and grab yours before this deal ends!

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

Please note: This article contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, I make a few pennies to keep up Homeschooling in Nova Scotia. Thanks for your support!

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The truth is, you are not a mom fail! Moms expect way too much of themselves, and I think homeschool moms expect even more of themselves than they should.

The Truth: You Are Not a #MomFail

You are not a mom fail when …

you find yourself yelling at your kids

you had a bad homeschool day and didn’t get much done

the laundry is piled up into mount washmore

there are dirty dishes in the sink

your child hasn’t finished the entire math text by June

your homeschool room doesn’t look like the ones on Pinterest

you don’t have a homeschool room

your child doesn’t behave perfectly in public

I probably don’t share our struggles here as much as I should. The truth is, we do struggle at times. Sometimes my kids don’t understand a math concept. I do yell at times. My kids are usually excellent at getting chores done around the house, but sometimes they forget. Even though we read aloud to him often when he was young, my son isn’t an avid reader. I work from home full time these days doing freelance writing and editing, so it can be difficult to keep up with homemaking – the clean laundry often doesn’t find its way into drawers.

Try to keep things in perspective. A gratitude journal or everyday miracle jar can help you focus on the positive. Yes, it’s all too easy to get sucked into focusing on the negative, so we have to remind ourselves – often.

Extend the same grace to yourself that you would extend to any other mom. When you’re chatting with one of your friends who is having a hard time in her home or homeschool, what is your advice? Odds are that you tell them things aren’t so bad, they aren’t a mom fail, and they’re doing a good job. Take this to heart yourself!

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**Please note: This free video series is no longer available. Stay tuned for more great freebies**

The Truth About #MomFail Culture: 10 Things You Need to Hear on the Hard Days

Mount washmore is piling up in the corner. Homeschooling started off on the wrong foot, with tears over math. Supper is looking like spaghetti (again). You’re lost your temper more than once ano you’re sure you didn’t win any awards for “The Most Patient Mom” today.

On days like this, you might be tempted to judge yourself even more harshly. Not only were you not at your best, but you’re a terrible mom. A pathetic homemaker. The day has been a disaster. You probably deserve an F minus in motherhood.

On and on goes the litany in your head as you stew about the ways you didn’t match up, didn’t do enough, or were too (angry, critical, impatient, disorganized) fill in the blank.

You snap a shot of your increasingly depressing laundry pile after the kids go to bed and share it on Instagram with a self-deprecating comment and the hashtag #momfail. It’s only meant as a joke, of course, but deep down it feels a little truer than you wish it did.

If this sounds even remotely familiar, you need to know two things:

You are not a mom fail. Most moms feel this way far more than they ever admit, though.

All the ways you failed? How awful you did today or last week? It’s not true. You’re doing better than you think.

I’ve had these sorts of days! It’s because I get it that I’m so excited to point you in the direction of this brand new (and free!) video series created by two moms who have lived their fair share of #momfail days.

Stephanie and Beth are not only popular bloggers, they’re also moms in the trenches. They have 8 kids, so loads of mothering experience between them.

They also understand and have the deepest compassion for moms who are working their tails off, but still hitting the pillow at night with heavy hearts and tear-stained faces because they feel as if they’re failing at one of the most important things they’ll ever do in their lives.

So, they’ve put together an honest, candid and incredibly encouraging series of three videos just for moms. It’s called “The Truth About #MomFail Culture: 10 Things You Need to Hear on the Hard Days.”

It won’t solve all your problems, and much as they wish they could, they can’t reach through the computer and fold the piles of laundry for you. But everyone can benefit from a fresh perspective and encouragement from moms who really get it.

Each video is short – around 10 minutes, and you can watch it on any sort of device when you have a few spare minutes.

To watch the video series, click this link and enter your name and email to sign up. You’ll get access to the first video today, and then one per day. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Are you dealing with #momfail culture? Have you been feeling like a #momfail in your home or homeschool? Please let me know in the comments below!

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The Power of Gratitude in Your Homeschool

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, I’ve been reflecting on gratitude. The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it can be difficult to keep it up, even for kids. It’s far too easy to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives and homeschools. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential, it needs to become more than just an Easter or Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

That’s why practising gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing, including our homeschools.

Gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach – we don’t have to whitewash or ignore the bad things in life. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts God’s given us, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colourful petals poking out of the snow, legs that work, friends who listen, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm houses, a child’s ability to read, our health, hummingbirds … What’s on your list? What’s on your child’s list?

Ideas for Practising Gratitude in Your Homeschool

• Keep a gratitude journal. Have your child list what they’re thankful for. They can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal will remind them to think in a grateful way. You can set a good example and keep a journal, too.

• Keep a jar for collecting everyday miracles. Make one for yourself and one for your child and decorate them. Then add what you’re thankful for to the jar daily, weekly, or once in a while. We like doing this together before bedtime.

• Make a gratitude collage together by drawing or cutting and pasting pictures.

• Practice gratitude around the dinner table as a family or make it part of your beditor routine.

• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.

• When you or your child feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

• Notice how gratitude affects your life. Encourage your child to write or sing about it, to express thanks.

As you and your children practise gratitude, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you feel!

How do you practise gratitude in your homeschool? Please let me know in the comments below!

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The Bible admonishes us repeatedly to be slow to anger. But when it comes to our kids, it’s surprisingly easy for us to be quick to anger! We know it doesn’t work. The definition of crazy is to do something over and over again even if it isn’t working, so why do we repeatedly get angry and stressed out parenting our kids? Here’s a book that can help!

Overcoming Angry and Stressed Out Parenting – Book Review

Israel and Brook Wayne have written a newly released book, Pitchin’ A Fit! Overcoming Angry and Stressed Out Parenting. Peppered throughout with scripture, the first third of the book contains Biblical discussions on the nature of anger, exploring if anger can ever be Godly, and how prayer and dwelling on God’s word can keep us from anger. Then it delves into causes of parenting stress and anger, and what we can do about it. At the end of many of the chapters are thoughtful “Questions to Consider” to help us mull over and work through the contents.

On Yelling

The Waynes point out that yelling trains your child to listen only when you’re angry! That’s so true! And they give great steps to break the yelling habit. I’ve been trying one of them lately – catching myself and speaking quietly instead of yelling. I love that they advise apologizing to your kids when you lose your cool. I’m a firm believer of admitting to your kids when you’re wrong.

If you are a Christian parent with young children, you need this book! It will give you great food for thought for overcoming angry and stressed out parenting along with Biblical references for guidance.

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

I was provided with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

***This Bundle Offer has Ended. Stay Tuned for More in the Coming Months!***

Are You a Shutterbug Like Me?

Are you a shutterbug like me? I always have a camera or iPhone in hand ready to catch that beautiful sunset … the otherwise unbelievable amount of snow … my children’s beautiful smiles … I don’t want to forget any of it!

It’s SO important to be able to savour it all and relish the moments AND THEN to be able to look back and relish those moments all over again. I always derive pleasure from it – especially photos of family vacations in sunny Florida while we’re enduring the dead of winter! Our kids enjoy remembering our family history together with us.

That’s where photos come in. It’s so easy to get snap-happy these days. Remember when we had to carry around large, heavy camers? Now we just reach into our pockets for our smartphones or mini-cameras and start clicking away. And no worrying about running out of film!

If you’re a shutterbug like me, dreaming of an expensive DSLR camera you can’t afford, the problem is that the photos never seem good enough! Your cheap camera takes so long between photos that you miss your daughter’s split leap at her dance recital! You think you got the perfect shot of your child blowing out the candles, but all you’ve managed to capture is … a blur.

The Ultimate Photography Bundle

If you can relate, I have good news for you! My friends at Ultimate Bundles have put together an incredible product to help with your photography woes, and mine. It’s called The Ultimate Digital Photography Bundle (Beginner’s Edition), and it contains a curated collection of ebooks and video training guides to help you become a better photographer.

All the resources have been provided by professional, world-renowned photographers who are experts in teaching others – even complete beginners. You won’t need to switch up to a more expensive camera to make full use of the bundle (even if you just use your iPhone for photographs), and you don’t need to neglect your family for weeks of training! You can learn everything in mother-sized chunks – whenever you have a spare moment. And when I do finally save up for the DSLR I’ve been dreaming of, there is a pair of great e-books in the bundle for DSLR newbies!

Click here to see the full range of ebooks and training courses included in The Ultimate Photography Bundle (Beginner’s Edition).

There’s even better news! Everything in the bundle has a combined total value of $555, but for this week only, The Ultimate Bundles Team is selling the entire bundle for just $37 – a discount of more than 90%! What’s more, they’re also throwing in a FREE copy of FX Photo Studio Pro software from MacPhun (which provides stunning filters and photography effects) worth $29.99! Wow!

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Children are capable of a lot more than we give them credit for. My children have enjoyed helping me around the house since they were each as young as two years old. Not only do I like having the help, but I also take pride in teaching my children how to run a household so one day they will be able to run their very own. We enjoy doing a Weekly Home Blessing a la FlyLady together as a family, with a bit of a twist.

Cleaning Game: A Weekly Home Blessing

If you’re not familiar with FlyLady, it’s a home cleaning system created by Marla Cilley. Part of her system is the Weekly Home Blessing. This is not the detailed part of her cleaning system but simply a one-hour spruce up of your home. The seven “blessings” that FlyLady suggests accomplishing are:

You set a timer for 10 minutes and tackle the first task, then set the timer again and move on to the next. We have been doing this a little differently in our home for the last several years. When my daughter was little, she used to call this our “House Bath.” I have written each task on a piece of paper, and placed them in a container. My son, my daughter, and I each pick a paper from the container. Then we set the timer for 10 minutes and run to get our individual task completed quickly. There is a bit of competition involved as each child exclaims if they are the first to finish. Those who finish early pick another paper and get started on that task before I reset the 10-minute timer.

The tasks we have added are in areas that ALWAYS need cleaning. Even with more tasks, with all three of us working it takes only about 30 minutes! We even manage to have fun. My daughter especially loves the dusting. When ouR FlyLady Ostrich-feather duster first arrived, the two children actually fought over doing the dusting, much to my surprise!

I encourage you to read more about FlyLady and her system at www.flylady.net, or pick up her book, Sink Reflections. It may be just what you need to “FLY” as a family!

How do you get weekly cleaning done in your home? Do you FLY with your family? Please let me know in the comments below!

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

This article first appeared in Homeschool Horizons Magazine, March 2012.